1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel, and more particularly, to a design for a plasma display panel that is capable of being driven using only low voltages at a high speed by reducing a distance between an address electrode and a Y electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plasma display panel (PDP) display, which is a recent flat panel display, has excellent characteristics, such as the display of a quality image, being extremely thin and light, providing a wide viewing angle while having a large screen. In addition, a PDP display can be more simply manufactured than other flat panel display devices, and be easily enlarged, such that the PDP display is spotlighted as a next-generation flat panel display device.
Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2, FIGS. 1 and 2 are views of panel 1 of FIGS. 1 and 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,657,397 to Lee et al. FIG. 1 is an internal perspective view of the 3-electrode surface discharge PDP 1 and FIG. 2 is a cross-section of a unit display cell of the panel 1 of FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, address electrode lines AR1, AG1, . . . , AGm, and ABm, front and rear dielectric layers 11 and 15, Y electrode lines Y1, . . . , and Yn, X electrode lines X1, . . . , and Xn, phosphor layer 16, barrier ribs 17, and a MgO protective layer 12 are arranged between front and rear glass substrates 10 and 13 of the typical 3-electrode surface discharge PDP 1.
The address electrode lines AR1, AG1, . . . , AGm, and ABm are arranged in a predetermined pattern on rear glass substrate 13. The rear dielectric layer 15 covers the address electrode lines AR1, AG1, . . . , AGm, and ABm. The barrier ribs 17 are formed on the front surface of the rear dielectric layer 15 to be parallel to the address electrode lines AR1, AG1, . . . , AGm, and ABm. The barrier ribs 17 define discharge areas of each discharge cell and prevent optical crosstalk between adjacent discharge cells. The phosphor layers 16 are coated between barrier ribs 17.
The X electrode lines X1, . . . , and Xn and the Y electrode lines Y1, . . . , and Yn are patterned on a rear surface of the front glass substrate 10 in a direction that is orthogonal to the address electrode lines AR1, AG1, . . . , AGm, and ABm. The respective intersections define corresponding discharge cells. The X electrode lines X1, . . . , and Xn and the Y electrode lines Y1, . . . , and Yn each have a transparent electrode line made of a conductive material, such as, indium tin oxide (ITO), and a metal electrode line of high conductivity. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the X electrode line Xn is made out of a transparent electrode line Xna and a metal electrode line Xnb, and the X electrode line Yn is made up of a transparent electrode line Yna and a metal electrode line Ynb. The front dielectric layer 11 is entirely coated over the X electrode lines X1, . . . , and Xn and the Y electrode lines Y1, . . . , and Yn. The MgO protective layer 12 for protecting the panel 1 against strong electric fields is coated over the entire rear surface of the front dielectric layer 11. Discharge spaces 14 are sealed with a gas for forming plasma.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the 3-electrode surface discharge PDP 1, not only the X electrode lines X1, . . . , and Xn, the Y electrode lines Y1, . . . , and Yn are formed on the rear surface of the front substrate, but also the dielectric layer 11 and the protective layer 12 are formed on the front glass substrate 10 over the X and Y electrodes. During discharge, visible rays emitted from the phosphors 16 in the discharge spaces 14 pass through the front substrate 10. However, the 3-electrode surface discharge PDP 1 has a significant problem in that only about 60% of the visible rays are transmitted through the front substrate 10 because of various components formed on the front substrate 10.
In the 3-electrode surface discharge PDP 1, electrodes that cause the discharge are formed over the discharge spaces 14, namely, on the inner or rear surface of the front substrate 10 through which the visible rays pass, such that the discharge is generated on the inner surface thereof and spreads. Hence, the 3-electrode surface discharge PDP 1 has low luminescent efficiency. These electrodes formed on the inner surface of the front substrate tend to block some of the visible rays generated, thus leading to losses. Further, when the 3-electrode surface discharge PDP 1 is used for a long period of time, charged particles of a discharge gas cause ion sputtering of the phosphor layers due to an electric field, thus generating a permanent residual image.
Furthermore, in the 3-electrode surface discharge PDP 1 of FIG. 1, the address electrode AGm is formed on the rear glass substrate 13 to have a distance of about 130 to 160 μm from the X and Y electrode lines Xn and Yn on the front substrate 10. Accordingly, an address voltage of 60 to 80V is applied to an address electrode that is arranged in a discharge cell to be selected during an addressing period, and a scan voltage of −60 to −80V is applied to a Y electrode that is arranged in the discharge cell to be selected during the addressing period. In other words, a great distance between the address electrode and the Y electrode requires a very large voltage, which requires high power consumption.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a distance between an address electrode and a Y electrode depends on a height hw of each of the barrier ribs 17. When the height hw of each of the barrier ribs 17 is decreased to enhance address discharge characteristics, the overall brightness of the panel 1 is reduced due to a decrease in the amount of to-be-coated phosphor. In other words, when the height hw of each of the barrier ribs 17 is decreased by about 10 μm, the overall brightness of the panel 1 is reduced about 5 to 10%. Thus, attempts to lower power consumption by reducing barrier rib height can deteriorate the image quality. If the barrier ribs are made shorter to lower the power consumption, brightness suffers. If the barrier ribs are made high, the distance between the address and the Y electrodes increase leading to higher power consumption.